Home Market Releases for September 15th, 2015

September 16th, 2015

This week's home market releases are insane, so I'm going to have to be a lot more judicious in pruning the list. If I were to include all releases that are big enough to include, if they were released during a slow week, there would be more than 100 releases on this week's list (including secondary Blu-rays, but not VOD releases). I have to pare that back to a more reasonable number. Why are there so many releases? Firstly, it is the beginning of the Christmas Shopping season and we have two monster hits on this week's list. Secondly, it is the last week before the fall season begins in earnest, so it is the last week for a lot of shows to come out on DVD before they are running into competition from the new season. It should come as no surprise that the best releases on this week's list are in the TV on DVD categories, including Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1 and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2. Both of which are co-winners of the Pick of the Week.

American Experience: Walt Disney - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A four-hour documentary about Walt Disney from the PBS series, American Experience. It is expensive for a TV on DVD release, but cheap compared to a lot of documentaries half its length.

Aquarius: Season One - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A police procedurals set in 1967 and focusing on the officer who was handling the Charles Manson case. The reviews were mixed and the the viewership went from 5.7 million for its opening episode to just 1.1 for the season finale. It was renewed, in part because it was released VOD before it debuted on TV, so those numbers might be really strong. They had better be, or it won't last till season three.

Big Bang Theory: Season 8 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Season nine begins in two weeks and the show is already renewed for season ten, so it will join a select group of sitcoms to last a decade on TVs. It has also earned excellent reviews throughout its run, although the most recent season earned the weakest reviews. On the other hand, it is attacked a lot by some who call it Nerdface. Nerdface, as in Blackface. ... Yeah. Moving on. Extras include featurettes, the comic con panel, and outtakes. If you are a fan, it is certainly worth picking up.

Black-ish: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
One of the best new sitcoms from last year. It did so well that Anthony Anderson earned an Emmy nomination for Best Male Lead in a Comedy. On the downside, the only extra is a featurette with behind-the-scenes / outtakes. It is still worth picking up, but a fully loaded DVD release would have been a contender for Pick of the Week.

Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A six-disc, 21-hour box set of shows not seen since they first aired on the Carol Burnett Show. Yes please. I'm hoping to get a screener, but it will likely just be featured on this year's Holiday Gift Guide.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon: None
There are no Christmas releases big enough to mention this week. That's not to say there are none, just none big enough to be worth mentioning.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Final Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Hopefully the Police Procedural genre is dying. I say that as someone who likes the genre, but there are just far too many of these shows for any of them to truly standout.

CSI: Cyber: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
There are too many Police Procedurals on TV on the air and this one is not one of the better shows. I think this is because the average writer in Hollywood knows about as much about the Internet as I know about high performance sports cars.

Empire: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-rayVideo on Demand
One of the strangest new shows of the year. I don't mean it's plot. It is Dallas, but with Hip Hop and not oil. It's strange in its ratings. It started out well, but its ratings grew. And grew. And grew. Each of its 12 episodes did better than the episode before it. That's unprecedented. Extras on the DVD and Blu-ray include an audio commentary track on the pilot, a look at the music, the fashion, and of course extended musical performances. Definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of the show.

Also coming out this week is a "Complete" Franchise Box Set. Are you kidding me? They released a Six-Movie box set when this film came out in theaters and part eight in the franchise is already in the works, so there will be at least two more box sets in the franchise's future. This is getting ridiculous.

- Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There are roughly 30 billion James Bond releases this week, including a full franchise box set, various box sets for the individual actors who played Bond, and individual movie releases. On the one hand, I love these movies. On the other hand, they have been released on DVD and Blu-ray way too many times. I really do like the idea of individual actor box sets.

Jillian Michaels Killer Arms & Back - Buy from Amazon: DVD
It is a busy week, but Jillian Micheals is still popular enough to get an exercise video onto the front page of the new releases.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-rayVideo on Demand
A documentary series about Robert Durst, who was rich and successful, but has been the suspect in three murders. He denied all involvement... until he forgot he was still wearing a live mic. The end result is more interesting than the journey, but it is still worth checking out. On the other hand, there are no extras, so renting it on VOD is probably the best choice.

LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles - Buy from Amazon: DVD
One of the biggest movie franchises teaming up with one of the biggest toy franchises. It is no shock this DVD is selling as well as it is.

Love and Mercy - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-rayVideo on Demand
To call this film Oscar-bait would not be unfair. Does it live up to its Oscar aspirations? Will it appeal to the average moviegoer as well as critics? How many times did I listen to "God Only Knows" while writing the review? Five times. ... and I'm going to listen to it right now. In the meantime, read our review.

Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Easily my favorite new network show from last year. It focuses on Peggy Carter, who we first met in Captain America. This series takes place after World War II, but before the official start of S.H.I.E.L.D. Due to her experience in World War II, she's given a job with Strategic Scientific Reserve, but because she's a woman, the only woman agent, none of the men who work there take her seriously. Meanwhile, Howard Stark is framed for selling his inventions to the enemy. Peggy Carter agrees to help Stark clear his name, with the help of Stark's butler, Jarvis. Both this and the other Marvel release don't come out till Friday, so there's still a chance a screener will arrive. But if it doesn't, the quick review is Pick of the Week.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Season two of this show earned even better even better reviews than the first season did. The season-long storyline with the Inhumans helped, as did the ties in with the overall MCU. I'm hoping to get a screener. It might be late.

Midsomer Murders - Buy from Amazon: Season 16: DVD or Blu-ray or Season 17: DVD or Blu-ray
This is a British Murder Mystery show, so fans of the genre know the drill. The quality is high, but the price-per-minute is also high. If you consider the show as four TV movies, then the price is better.

NCIS: Season 12 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-rayVideo on Demand
Great show, great extras, worth picking up... assuming you're not like me and gave up on the show when Ziva left.

The Overnight - Buy from Amazon: DVDVideo on Demand
A couple move to a new town and they set up a playdate for their kid. They hang out with the other child's parents, and after the kids go to bed, the conversation between the parents goes in interesting directions. The film's reviews are excellent and it did well for a limited release crossing $1 million at the box office. Unfortunately, it didn't do well enough to get a Blu-ray release, which could hurt its home market sales.

Sisters: Seasons One & Two - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A TV show that started out in 1991. It is considered the first American network TV show aimed primarily at a female audience. The show earned great reviews and even picked up eight Emmy nominations (including one win). The reason we are getting the first two seasons this week, is because the first season the show was a midseason replacement and only lasted seven episodes. Thank goodness Shout!Factory didn't release that as a separate release.

Sleepy Hollow: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
A lot of weeks, this would be a big release. This week, it feels like filler. The reviews are great, but the ratings are only half of what it premiered with, which is troubling. There are more than enough extras on the DVD and Blu-ray that it is worth picking up, but I'm afraid the show won't last too much longer.